The current state of play

I'm constantly amazed at both the number and quality of web applications getting released on an almost daily basis. I'm convinced that you can now do almost everything you'd traditionally need an installed application for with a web app in a browser. There are exceptions, of course, but these tend to be at the more specialised end of the spectrum.

For your day-to-day general use, I bet there's a web app out there that will do the job for you and will be, more than likely, free, or at least very cheap compared to traditional desktop apps.

The evidence for this is also backed up by the number of netbooks currently being released, who's primary purpose is to be able to run web apps. The recent announcement of Google Chrome OS is another step in this direction.

So, what do I use? I'll be going into more details about some of the apps I use in later posts, but here's a taster:

• email - gmail
• Word processing, spreadsheets etc - Google Docs
• Task/project management - Remember The Milk
• General note taking and storing of data I'd like to get back to later - Evernote
• Photos - Flickr
• Blogging - Wordpress and Blogger
• Web site stats/monitoring - GetClicky
• Mind Mapping - Mind Meister
  

This is just a small selection, but these are the ones I use on a daily basis. Stay tuned for some detailed reviews of these and other web apps.

What's all this about, then?

I spend a lot of time using web browsers. In fact, I reckon about 90% of my computer use entails using a browser. Here's a brief list of what I use my browsers for:

• Run my business
• Keep my blogs up to date
• Keep in contact with friends and family
• Upload my photos
• Manage my finances

There are many, many other things I use a browser for, and this blog will cover them in greater detail.

I don't use any one browser specifically. In fact, I'm often hopping between Firefox, Safari and Opera as new releases come along, or when I just fancy a change. You'll notice there's no mention of Internet Explorer. More on that later :)

The main purpose of this blog will be for me to highlight what I consider to be among the best web apps. Those I use every day, in addition to some less frequently used, but no less useful.